Tips for attending and surviving TrickConTreat

Tips for attending and surviving TrickConTreat (or any other convention for that matter).

By Duvall “Duvy” Gilchrist-Montgomery

Editor, Artist, Creator of Darkfaery Subculture Magazine

Attending conventions can be a fun and exciting experience, one that will change the way you feel about the things you enjoy. TrickConTreat is especially rare in the fact that it is dedicated to Halloween and the committee has taken care to ensure that it is a spooky, haunting affair.

Conventions, in general, have some of the most devoted attendees and people come from all over the world to attend. From the costumes to favorite celebrities, convention goers are in a different world that they can create and relate to.

You are encouraged to help with the theme of the convention by creating yourself into a character and joining in the fun as a Halloween fan.

Fans may seem like outcasts to a lot of people, but a convention is one place they can be among their own. It doesn’t matter what type of convention you are attending, you are sure to make new friends with the same interests as yourself. A lot of the time it’s a chance to get involved in things you could never imagine or would not be able to achieve on your own.

Do not be afraid to be yourself. This is the most important thing you can do, the person you are on the inside should be free to explore and here you can find new friends and people who share your interests. You should try to be open and friendly. Everyone is potential friend or new fan. Try to stay in the hotel zone close to the convention center. Being close to other convention-goers will help in making new friends.

Please try to leave hate and anger at home; this is counter-productive to the purpose behind a convention and will result in your removal from the hotel. The safety of members and children is the top priority for TrickConTreat security, and if you need help do not hesitate to approach one of our fine security people, they are there to help you and keep everyone safe.

TrickConTreat takes place the first weekend of October so you will want to set aside the weekend and plan a couple of extra days off of work. Conventions usually last three to four days, one can be found almost every weekend in some part of the country, and you will need a day to recover after all those things to do and see. Another great thing about TrickConTreat taking place on October 3rd-5th is that you will get to keep your Halloween spirit through the month and enjoy the purchases you make and things you learn to use on the actual night of Halloween.

There are, however, some considerations you might want to make in advance of the convention to make things easier on yourself and everyone else.

Pre-register if you can. You avoid the long lines, and get cheaper prices. Pre-registered members are guaranteed a program book. Weekend members paying at the convention will receive a program book while supplies last. Registration can be a trying experience and if you pre-register you’ll get through it a lot faster. Pre-registration for TrickConTreat ends October 1st, Weekend memberships are $30 until October 1st, 2008. Online registration will not be available after October 1st. Weekend memberships will be $35 at the door. One-day memberships will be available at Registration for $15 each day.

Bring a costume, sometimes two or three. Many conventions have contests for the best costume, but at TrickConTreat you can only win one contest in one costume, change often for more chances to win.

If you are planning many costume changes, get yourself a hotel room, not only will it make your life at the con easier, but you help out the people behind the scene at the convention by letting the hotel know there is interest. This also helps the behind the scenes convention committee plan and afford the convention for the next year. If you do plan on staying in a hotel, team up with people to rent a room. Decide ahead of time whose credit card it’s going on and how much everyone has to pay and who gets the beds. Set up rules of behavior for the room. The room rules are important to your safety and overall fun factor.

TrickConTreat 2008 will be hosted by Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Oklahoma City. The Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Oklahoma City North is located just off Highway I-235 (Broadway Extension) and minutes from I-44, I-40 and I-35. The Oklahoma City Holiday Inn hotel is sited just 5 miles North of Downtown Oklahoma City and Bricktown. Use group code "TCT" for a discount. This also helps the behind the scenes convention committee plan and afford the convention for the next year and makes the hotel smile.

Don’t lose your room key and don’t ask anyone to hold it for you that are not in your party.

I hate to say it, but there are bad seeds in every crowd, convention goers’ aren’t screened or given background checks you never know who you are dealing with, especially when one is in a costume or becoming a character. Keep up with your items, family, and children at all times.

Get some cheap cell phones with extra minutes on it for you and your party in case you get separated. Tracfone is super cheap; around $10 each and you can recycle them later for a few bucks if you don’t need them. Put everyone on speed dial, especially children, even if they don’t understand how to use the phone an adult who finds your lost child will be able to call you easily.

Don't argue with security. No matter what.

Don’t lose your convention badge. No matter what. Otherwise take several pictures of yourself wearing it as soon as you get it and maybe *maybe* the sweet gods of registration will let you live.

Dress in loose fitting clothing so that when you get stuck in a crowd you don’t overheat, think shower and deodorant at least once a day over the course of the weekend, another great reason to get a room. Bring alternate footwear, getting stuck in heels or painful shoes for three days can sometimes ruin everything if you plan to walk from one end of the hotel to another several times.

Use your toothbrush often and don’t forget the mouthwash, close contact breeds bacteria and is just plain gross. We don’t want everyone getting sick and missing out on Halloween night.

Find out if any of your favorite celebrities are appearing. Find out the times they will be available to the public, and bring collectibles they can autograph or be prepared to buy something in the dealer’s room. Be prepared to stand in long lines to meet popular celebrities.

Buy your food and drinks ahead of time. Nothing will make your money disappear faster than buying breakfast at the hotel or eating in nearby restaurants. Con suites, where they offer free snacks and drinks, are good, but they can be time-intensive to get to and you don't want to rely on them because of the long lines and availability.

Bring information on your favorite stories, shows or movies to discuss. Most conventions have discussion panels on a wide variety of topics.Panels are a great way to make new friends and learn about new things, but remember while you are in the panel rooms the convention is still happening around you and it’s easy to lose track of time, keep your program book close by and make notes in it.

If you are attending a panel you know will be popular, get there early.

Study the collectible items available for purchase or up for auction. Bring plenty of money so you can purchase the items that appeal to you. Try not to rely on your credit cards, you can go over budget really quick when you are having a good time and see things you just have to have for your collections. Keep cash on hand, keep a firm hold on your wallet, and count your money often to make sure you are not spending more than you have.

Attend the "dead dog party" after the closing ceremonies. This is often the best way to wind down and to ease your way back into the real world. Trust me, you will find yourself a different person after attending a convention.

And finally, most importantly, have a great Halloween experience and we hope to see you at TrickConTreat!

Duvy is the editor of Darkfaery Subculture Magazine, as well as an award winning songwriter, artist and vocalist. She is currently producing her own show, promoting local artists and businesses and modeling plus-sized clothing and halloween costumes. At TrickConTreat you can find her playing Magenta in Rocky Horror Picture Show, filming Duvy’s Darkfaery Network, and hosting the Haunticon Ball along with participating in several panels on gothic fashion and trivia.

Additional Links:

http://www.trickcontreat.com/
http://www.darkfaery-subculture.com/
http:  //www.myspace.com/trickcontreat

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What Is Cosplay?

What Is Cosplay?
By Henry Hsieh

There’s no denying that anime characters are incredibly cute, beautiful, and handsome. Disproportional their facial features and body builds may be, they’re still magnificently good looking. In fact, it’s probably these imperfections that turn them into such good looking things. There are even times when they’re even more perfected than people both in their physique and face. And because of this, they often become objects of our adoration. And since imitation is the best form of flattery, there are people who just love to imitate anime characters… even going so far as to dress up as one. Dressing up as an anime character is what we call cosplaying.

However, you can’t just cosplay any time you want because people would think you were crazy. There’s a time and place for everything and for cosplaying; in the US it’s usually done during an anime convention while in Japan there are pockets of people that does them regularly in various cities or special cosplay cafes.

The Costumes

As you probably noticed, anime characters are usually clothed with very weird outfits. They sometimes wear clothes that are virtually impossible to be made in real life; after all, they can afford this since they’re simply ink on paper. This poses as a primary challenge for all cosplayers. But somehow, people are resourceful and they can always manage. Even the most complex of costumes can be duplicated by the means of some cardboard and some fabrics. Some cosplayers are so good that they’ve even managed to dress up as a real human robot from ‘transformers’ and is able to transform from a robot to a car. That must have taken a lot of time, effort, and brains.

Some of the more popular subjects for cosplay are the Naruto as well as the Naruto Shippuden characters. In every cosplay convention, there will always be people dressing up as the Naruto characters, even the minor ones. There’s an especially large number of Akatsuki Cosplayers because those black cloaks with red clouds are incredibly easy to make and to wear.

The Look

The costumes are a breeze as compared to emulating an anime character’s look. You’re lucky if the one you’re cospaying as looks like a normal human being. But try copying those anime characters that have out of this world hair and inhuman skin! Just imagine trying to cosplay as Freeza or Cell from Dragon Ball Z! The anime look is incredibly hard to pull off.

And to top it all off, you need to be relatively good looking yourself if you don’t want to be a laughing stock. It also helps if you’re of Asian descent because Asians are naturally better at cosplaying anime characters, even those anime characters who are supposed to be European.

The Attitude

Emulating a characters attitude is a huge plus when you’re in an anime convention. It adds to the overall feel if you’ve adopt the attitude of the character you’re cosplaying as well. Imagine cosplaying as Sasuke and acting like Naruto! That would be totally inappropriate. Just never take the assimilation of the character’s attitude too far or else you might just end up scaring people.

During cosplays, those who are able to emulate a character as accurate as possible are usually lauded with awards and praises. And there are several people who go to cosplays just to have their picture taken with other cosplayers, surprisingly? To the most of us yes it is, but then that’s the world of cosplaying.

Henry Hsieh has multiple interests and he enjoys talking about them. As a fan of anime, he likes to watch Naruto, discuss them in Naruto Forums, and listen to Naruto MP3 at tailedfox.com the best Naruto site with the newest Naruto Episodes of Naruto Shippuden out first.

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